It's easy to see why investors would be excited by the new product; costing $100 less than the original Switch model, the Switch Lite looks like a perfect way to snap up a younger audience or families who would be put off by a higher price point. Kantan Games analyst, Dr. Serkan Toto, has said the following:

“Investors should see the Switch as way for Nintendo to substantially increase the install base and prolong the life-cycle of the console for years.

This device will be a mega hit."

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter expects the console to be supply constrained towards the end of year, estimating that it will ship 8.5 million units during this fiscal year and 11.5 million the following year. He described the Switch Lite as “the right product at the right time.”

Do you agree? Do you think the Switch Lite will go on to be a huge success? We're still listening to all your Switch Lite thoughts in the comments.

Ryan can list the first 151 Pokémon all in order off by heart – a feat he calls his ‘party trick’ despite being such an introvert that he’d never be found anywhere near a party. He’d much rather just have a night in with Mario Kart and a pizza, and we can’t say we blame him.

I love these kind of articles, people will prolly be happy now (even when I think that the most of us do not have Nintendo stocks), but when the share price goes down because of something once again everbody (who prolly also do not have stocks) gets mad.

A number of Nintendo blog/podcasters already having to tell people that a Switch lite might not be for them but another audience. I assume because they are reading all the reaction comments from people expressing disgust and confusion at the reduced model.

No detachable controllers I can live with. Smaller actually isn't a bad idea. But taking away the TV functionality is a massively stupid drawback. And I don't understand why they did it. Unless the Switch lite has been totally rebuilt internally removing components that are needed for that.

Like, not shipping with a dock I would understand. Making the device not work on TV at all... WHY?

And save your "It's not for you comments!" desperate to defend this. This is not a Switch, it's a Game Boy. It only has about 40-50% of the features of the base model, but costs 2/3s as much and that's real dumb.

$150, and marketed as a new Game Boy that plays Switch games... then I would understand.

I have to agree with @Heavyarms55 on this one.This isn't a Switch, it is a Gameboy. Except it is too big, remove one joy con from your Switch and it is the same width, thickness is nearly the same and it is 1cm shorter. That is less portable than a normal Switch in tablet mode (my preferred way to play when I am out).

The price if anything, will likely push more normal Switch sales. It is as bad a misnomer calling this a Switch lite as Metroid Prime:Federation force. I was looking forward to a more portable Switch, but the lite is too big for it's function and too expensive for adoption by younger audience.

£150-£160 and a smaller design, shave off a few more cm, would have "been a mega hit".

@Heavyarms55 Like you I fail to understand the cost for a console with roughly the same battery life, a smaller screen and so many functions removed.My best guess for the absence of dock compatibility is heat. When docked, the Switch is overclocked and heats a lot more. Not giving TV compatibility means the Switch Lite heats less and require a smaller cooling system. And the difference also justifies buying the original Switch which is now the high end.

@Mycroft very likely as it even looks like the rumour from when the Switch first came out. Why they didn't pick the Switch Flip design for the portable iteration is beyond me tho (to get those GBA SP vibes).

@Rhaoulos I suppose a smaller cooling system is possible, but that really doesn't sound like a good idea. Having watched a lot of videos about tearing down and repairing Switch units, I feel like the cooling system rides a very thin line as it is.

@NinChocolate Did you not even read my comment? It has less than half the features of the base model, but still costs two thirds as much. Furthermore it's not a Switch. The whole idea of the Switch was the ability to SWITCH between console and TV modes. This device cannot do it.

@Heavyarms55 Less than half the features? It still has the #1 feature of playing (99% of) Switch games. If you're someone who doesn't really care about playing docked or playing with others on a single switch, it seems like a great deal for $100 less.

As for your other point, I suppose they could've named it Ninten No Switch.

@Heavyarms55 I think it's a great product, there is a huge market for Switch with those who only want it as a handheld device, saying its only 40% of the functionality is an exaggeration as it literally just doesn't connect to a TV. There will also be people like myself who want a second Switch for the household so detachable joy cons or lack of tv output are of no concern. At £80 cheaper its also a good deal for those who are interested in it and it's an extra choice for consumers, if you want to be able to play on a TV buy the standard Switch and if you aren't bothered buy the cheaper one

@astrofan1993 I can't think of a single reason for anyone who already has the original model to ever buy this. If you are that desperate for a D-pad joycon there are 3rd party options. Or you can buy one of mod kits floating around. I modded on of my joycon sets and despite no training in electronics and never having done anything like it before, it took about 40 minutes and works great!

But I feel bad for those looking for a cheaper Switch, because this device isn't sufficiently cheaper to justify the lost features.

Did all of you not read the comments here? So many people don't want to play Switch on a TV. They just want to play in handheld and so Nintendo gave us the not-switch Switch which you can only play in handheld mode.🤷‍♂️

@Rhaoulos If the Switch Lite had the option to be docked that would make the og Switch irrelevant. And why would Nintendo want that? That happened with the og DS.

Shocked that people around here can't understand the purpose of the lite. It's an alternative for people who primarily play in handheld mode. Nothing more nothing less. If you want to use the older features, stick with the regular Switch. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

@NinChocolate Well, of course it's meant for a different audience. I don't know how there could even be any confusion about that. This is essentially the Switch's 2DS, or the Switch's Wii Mini: much cheaper, some minor stuff that's fairly unimportant to everyday consumers removed, with the real deal still available. The lack of any rumble at all is a shame, but with the horrible noise the regular Switch makes in handheld mode when the joycons rumble, I can't say it wasn't to be expected.

@Heavyarms55 It is almost certainly to do with thermals, By shrinking the device they have a much smaller thermal envelop to work with. In TV mode the increased clocks equal increased heat. There is no cost in enabling TV mode as it is part of the X1 i/o package and both devices have a usb-c that can carry the signal. But you can't cheat physics, higher clocks need more power produces more heat.

@Heavyarms55 I hear what you’re saying, ‘Switch’ was both a brand name and a literal description. It got the message out. Clever. I don’t feel that a ‘Switch Lite’ is some travesty. I think it’s okay to just build out the brand element of “Switch”. Like an Apple Watch isn’t a literal apple. It’s just a name.

@nintendoknife Minor stuff? You mean the main advantage the Switch had over previous devices? I bet you a month's wage that the overwhelming majority of players use both docked and handheld modes for their devices. I'm THAT confident.

@NinChocolate Apple never marketed themselves as a fruit. Apple always was just a name. The Switch was named after its primary advantage over other products, its hybrid nature. They've taken that feature away. It is no longer a Switch. It's been downgraded back to Game Boy. (not bashing on Game Boy, I love the thing, but it is inferior to Switch)

@Heavyarms55 The Switch as is will have something in it to upscale when docked, that was probably taken out for space saving purposes. I personally prefer this as I only play handheld but the battery life isn't an increase enough to warrant the change

@TooBarFoo TV mode doesn't technically need to increase clock speeds, though. They could easily force handheld speeds and tell people that it's possible to use the dock but not recommended because the 'real' Switch will display a better picture. People with 720p TVs wouldn't even notice.
Edit: in fact, I'm positive that whenever the Switch Lite gets hacked, some clever homebrewer will figure out a way to do just that.

@StevenG sorry but this device is not pocketable, and is less so than the original Switch because you cannot remove the controller's. First thing I checked out was the dimensions to see if it was suitable for my niece. It simply isn't portable.

As for your comments about the 'Switch' name no longer being accurate, tell that to the company who created a 3D handheld and then made not one but two versions of it that didn't include the 3D functionality at all, or who gave an entirely new console a name that sounded like it was just an alternate version of their older console.

@Heavyarms55 Marketing it as a Gameboy would be the dumbest possible decision they could make. The Switch is now an established brand. It doesn't matter at this point if it "Switches" or not, the name has brand recognition - the original meaning no longer matters. See 3DS/2DS. Naming it something else would be far more confusing to the average consumer than a Switch that doesn't switch.

I agree with you that it's stupid they removed TV out capability. But there is still the original switch option if you need it. Despite what you want to hear - a substantially cheaper, portable only switch clearly isn't for you.

The whole point is to offer a more portable alternative to the Nintendo Switch,and to be honest I do not expect many people myself included to be all that impressed by this revision,but it will sell very well.

@NinChocolate aye no joke either, I loved the size of the Vita, just right for me, a little big for younger members of family. The two flaws of Vita, memory cards and no TV out (like that stupidly rare PSP cable!), Sony would have demolished 3DS with less greed and a little more practicality.

@Moonwalker-1986 my Switch case (£10 at launch) has a fold over for game storage. Switch just lies back on it nicely while I play table top mode. No doubt at all the same case will release for this model.

The key issue with many Nintendo fanboys is they're often stubborn control freaks who think they know best for everyone else and people only like what they like, the concept of people having different tastes and requirements is alien to them.

Very backward and defensive - it has taken over a year for most fanboys to become accustomed to the idea of the impending Switch Pro in 2020.

Atleast Sony and MS fanboys are open to multiple choices, the Pro, X, slim models of their systems added much needed diversity to their markets.

@liveswired oh for sure it’s brilliant. There’s a reason people knew right from the outset of the reveal of Switch that Nintendo could and probably would just make a traditional compact handheld version as soon as things got rolling. This really was no surprise and the rumor was no big deal. There’s a market for dedicated handhelds, Nintendo caters to that market with their software to keep it going, the ingredient all the other major players lack

The Switch Lite is what it is-- Want/Need to play Switch portably only, you're going to get this... That's the point of it's marketing. Unfortunately I don't meet that market. My market is the one awaiting the Switch Pro which should be available one the hype settles for Switch Lite in 1.5 - 2 years from now. By then PS5 and Scarlett should be established enough that Nintendo will need to bring the Switch up to PS4/XB1 standards and add a couple other bells and whistles. Til then, original Switch for now.

Hm, side thought: I wonder if Nintendo would release a console only option that's more powerful to satisfy that market...?

@NinChocolate "Sony Vita is the perfect sized handheld." It's pretty good, but this really mostly depends on the size of your hands. Regular New 3DS and the PSP Go are my top picks.

@FargusPelagius You may want to look into getting an SD2Vita adapter, it lets you use MicroSD cards (but it uses the game cart slot, so you have to play digital games only) and will only cost you a dollar, maybe two. There's also an internal modification for the 3G Vita 1000, PSVSD, which replaces the 3G SIM module with an SD card slot (meaning: it lets you use the game cart slot). It does cost significantly more but setting it up is as easy as unscrewing the Vita's backside, taking out the SIM module and putting the PSVSD in its place. You do need to hack your system to be able to use the SD2Vita and/or the PSVSD, though, but it's pretty easy to do. The Vita is such a great handheld, as long as you hack it to overclock, improve the resolution, and other tweaks which make it shine (none of them pose any danger to the system).

@Heavyarms55 Yes, but it's still a system in the 3DS line of products and all games are still sold under the 3DS moniker. Agreed on the cargo pants comment, by the way. It's fine to walk around with but sitting down is impossible unless your pockets are extremely deep.

@NinChocolateOf course! And Nintendo should also bring a Switch, which you can only play with one player and another one, where two people can play. I also want a Switch just for playing online and another one with no gaming function at all.🤪It's sad, that they days of the Switch concept are basically over, because the average, dumb consumer will just buy the cheaper version and sooner or later no developer will care for the regular Switch features.

@MrBlacky What do you mean by "the regular Switch features"? The IR sensor and rumble? Barely any games made use of those anyway. Regardless, you could have posted the same comment when they released the 3DS. No one will make 3D games anymore! Well - other than some games released late in the system's life which were too resource-intensive to get the 3D to work without a significant performance impact - they did, despite the 2DS selling like hotcakes.

@NinChocolate I just saw your comment on how Nintendo was the first to do a dockable handheld or a portable home console, technically that honour goes to the PSP Go (which you can even connect a DualShock 3 controller to, which lets you play 2-player PS1 games!), or the Sega Nomad, depending on your preferred description of what the Switch is. Both are almost as simple in use: on the PSP Go, you just hold a button for a couple of seconds and it switches to TV out (provided the cables are connected, but if you use the dock they probably are), and the Nomad was a matter of connecting the cables. Nintendo are definitely the first to do it really well, though.

@nintendoknife that’s a good reminder too. I guess I’m just thinking that Sony could have taken it to an equivalent level, really setting up the identity of the Vita as a dockable handheld. Nintendo certainly wasn’t original in the hybrid aspect, but they centralized the design around it. That was waiting for someone to do: make the real hybrid console not just a link cable bonus feature. The tech is all the same, it’s all in the pitch and Nintendo was speeding towards it, but Sony was there too. I think the problem is that Sony failed to compete against themselves, really doubling down on the PSP’s features and software pipeline. They did more of a reboot of the initial concept than an evolution

@NinChocolate
Good question.🤔 I think it was your comment, regarding Nintendo should bring a dedicated version for tabletop use.

BTW: As the biggest Nintendo site in europe, it's really laughable that there is such a shitty forum with no working reply-functionality whatsoever. Doesn't this bother anyone or do you just don't care anymore?

Why the hell would anybody want a gimped Switch? The regular Switch can't even do full 1080p in BotW while docked and we're quickly moving into a 4K resolution era. Walk into a hardware store and check out the huge majority of 4K TV's for sale compared to the very few 1080p TV's. We need a BETTER switch if anything - one that can do 4K 60hz / 60fps at least. Nintendo's jaggy, pixelated, low res textures are getting old real fast. We're living in a era where parents are buying their kids $1000 phones. Do you really think people will complain about a $400 console that can keep up with modern day TV's?

@NinChocolate The Vita could have probably really competed with the 3DS (like the PSP did with the DS) if only they didn't make the system so expensive, and if only they didn't make yet another proprietary memory card that was also extremely expensive even for really low storage amounts. Neither the 3DS nor the Vita had a good start, but Nintendo learned from their mistakes and released a string of excellent games in quick succession, and made the system a lot cheaper as well. This got a lot of people buying the console for those games, which in turn got third parties much more interested in releasing games for a popular system. It's as if Nintendo, in response to the really bad initial sales, said "we'll do everything we can to make it a success", and Sony, in turn, said "oh well, looks like no one wants the Vita, let's forget all about it because people must only be interested in mobile games".

I really liked the Vita by it never stood a chance. It really needed Sony to throw their full weight behind it but they couldn’t support two systems as they needed to do the same with PS4. Nintendo had the same issue with 3DS and Wii U.

“The key issue with many Nintendo fanboys is they're often stubborn control freaks who think they know best for everyone else and people only like what they like, the concept of people having different tastes and requirements is alien to them.”

With every new "re-iteration" of their systems (with the exceptions of the 2DS, the Gen 2 Wii and Wii Lite, but we will not speak of such awful things), Nintendo has always ADDED or IMPROVED functionality. Look at DS Lite (which made the screens far brighter and the system beautiful but still carried the Lite name), DSi, New Nintendo 3DS, etc.

Releasing the Switch Lite is like releasing the Star Wars prequels, which were also awful. I'm not saying there's not a market for it, but it begs the question as to why Nintendo didn't stick with the core reason to call it a "Switch" in the first place. At least including a kickstand would allow you to say you can "switch" to table top mode. Now it's just as confusing as the marketing for the Wii U for the average consumer, who might be calling Nintendo customer service asking how exactly to hook it up to a TV (which they obviously can't).

The Switch Lite really isn't for most of the people commenting on it. It's meant to convince parents to buy their younger children a Nintendo handheld because it's $100 cheaper. Or to buy it as a second Switch to stop the siblings (or significant other) from fighting over time with the first one.

The good news is it will expand the install base on an already healthy Switch games library. More third party support should follow. That benefits everybody.

@Ravenmaster "The regular Switch can't even do full 1080p in BotW while docked" That's mostly because BotW is a Wii U game that was quickly ported to the Switch, not because the Switch can't handle it. I'm willing to bet that the sequel will run in 1080p no problem.

In regards to 2160p, first of all it's only an incremental upgrade to 1080p, whereas 1080p was an enormous upgrade to 480p (usually 480i), especially with TV broadcasts in mind. Most importantly, though, only a minority of games actually run in full native 2160p, most use all kinds of optimisation tricks to make the image look like it's 2160p whereas it actually isn't. 2160p (and more) screens are being heavily pushed by the TV industry even though nothing actually properly supports them yet. Technically the same thing happened with 1080p, the PS3 and Xbox 360 mostly played games at 720p, or '1080p' with a boatload of optimisation tricks. The PS4 and Xbox One are really the first consoles to be able to run 1080p properly, and even they still have lots of games running at e.g. 900p, like Breath of the Wild.Even then, for people to even notice any real difference, they need to either have an enormous TV and/or sit right in front of it, as you can see in the graph below. I'm sitting about 3m from a 22 inch 720p TV and, save for some rare occasions with extremely obvious artifacting, cannot truly tell the difference between a 480p and 720p signal. The TV industry luckily isn't as full of snake oil salesmen as e.g. the hifi industry, but there are still many placebo improvements being passed around, and the fact that most TVs available in stores nowadays are 4K has more to do with making money than offering discernible improvements.

@nintendork64 That is wrong. The GB Micro, for example, lost support for GB/GBC games. The NES got a cute top loader redesign that broke support for certain games. The SNES got a redesign with only one kind of video output (not the best one) as opposed to the original's three. The DS no longer supported GB/GBC games either. The DSi, which was definitely an improvement overall, removed the GBA slot altogether (even though the chip that allows it to play GBA games is actually still there). In fact, the DS Lite already made GBA cartridges stick out uncomfortably far. The 2DS no longer had 3D, the later Wii models no longer supported GC controllers and memory cards, and the Wii Mini didn't really support anything other than playing Wii games.
In the end it's hard to say "Nintendo always improved with reiterations, except for this and that and that and that and that and that case". Some reiterations are just meant as cheaper alternatives. Don't worry, a more powerful Switch will inevitably come next year or the year after.

@nintendork64 this isn't a re-iteration though, its an alternative for those that just want a handheld and even the kickstand would be irrelevant as the controllers don't come off. Remember those buying it are doing so to play a handheld and won't care about joy cons and if they did then the normal Switch still exists.

If you don't want to but one then fair enough but I bet you any money that they sell millions of them. I personally will be buying one so that I can play some handheld multiplayer with my son and for when the Pokemon games come out. He has never played my Switch on the TV and has no desire to have one hooked up to his, so this is perfect for us as it's much cheaper then a second standard console. If anything I'd be more likely to use that one for handheld play more than the standard as I'm not a big fan of how the joy cons feel like they might come off (they probably never would).

If this was replacing the standard console I can see why people might be annoyed but most complaining already have a Switch and might not need a second one anyway. The cheap 2DS was a big success, the NEW 2DS was a big success as there will always be a market for a console but may not want to be spending nearly £300 for it just to have features they don't even want.

I think they have got this pretty spot on and whilst Switch does have some neat features its biggest selling points are being portable and its library of games and these 2 things still apply. The other stuff is cool and as I've said that is still available for those who want it and will probably still be the best selling version

@carlos82 "(they probably never would)" They're held in place by a little plastic nub, so eventually they will. Especially if you take them off and put them back on often, the plastic will relatively quickly be scraped off.

@nintendoknife so they might then, luckily I don't actually like using them, so they rarely come off as I use a Pro Controller exclusively on the TV and obviously as is when portable. That's probably why this appeals to me so that I can leave that in its dock and take the new one with me

@Grumblevolcano It's just a weird approach to take. Why release the sequel before the prequels? The rest of the industry starts from the beginning and enhances as technology allows. While Nintendo does this too, it's like they take two steps forward and one step back every generation.

@carlos82 Yeah definitely see the appeal, don't get me wrong, but it just strikes me as odd that they omitted even a kickstand, which would at least allow table-top mode (and the "Switch" moniker would make sense). I've mentioned before that yes, a case will inevitably be released that will include a kickstand, but my brain just can't wrap itself around the logic!

I can definitely understand not wanting a TV hookup. I play mine 75% in handheld mode (and the 25% is usually during multiplayer sessions with my fiancee on Mario Party or Mario Kart).

I can definitely understand not caring about rumble or the IR sensor and camera. The only time I've ever used these are when my fiancee got her Labo set.

Just seems weird to omit a kickstand. I can't imagine it would have been a big expense, especially after sacrificing the unnecessary stuff.

@carlos82 In addition to my previous comment (sorry these are so long), I would have preferred if Nintendo added some exclusive hardware / software to the Lite. Like, say, a sensor a la 3DS so you can walk around and randomly "bump into" other Switch Lite owners on the road (Pokemon GO kind of thing). For me, that would easily justify a purchase of both systems. One for standard on-the-go and TV use, and the other for hooking up with other Switch Lite users and gaining content, items, etc. Then when you got home, you can use the content you obtained on the road with your standard system.

I don't know, maybe I'm being weird and picky, but I think it would have been cool to have the Lite be a sort of "companion" to the main Switch.

@nintendork64 I expect they didn't bother with the kickstand due to the joy cons not being detachable, I mean if you're going to buy this and some joy cons you'd probably just buy the standard Switch. I'd been looking at a second Switch as I have a stepson who's 12 and my own son who will be 3 soon, so this is the perfect solution for my needs. Weirdly I always kind of envisioned the Switch looking like the lite but with a proper home console component that you could download your games from to take with you or stream to when at home. Perhaps something like this will make more sense to others when we get the inevitable Pro version as this will probably make a better companion piece for that. Maybe they should have even waited for it as a newer chipset would surely have meant for a longer battery life in a downclocked lite version

@nintendoknife Yep, good call. I would actually be surprised if someone had not found a hack to enable hdmi over usb-c within 12 months of release. But I think hand held does more than just drop resolution, a lot of post process effects can be dropped on a on a 6 inch screen. I don't think it will be much of a looker when blown up to 55 inch

@Heavyarms55 This is actually the model I have been waiting on. I sold my original Switch and I'd much prefer a handheld version. I bet this sells incredibly well. Also, this opens it up to a larger market due to the lower price point and with Pokemon coming it will be huge. I get the no TV part that would have been a nice option, but my guess is that they had to cut some of that functionality just to get it to this size maybe. I am excited for it!

@StevenG I don't think that either, but it is practically the same as carrying a normal Switch in it's case in a backpack as carrying a Switch lite in a case in a backpack. The size difference simply doesn't warrant a purchase as a gift. No doubt someone out there will buy the lite tho.

@Heavyarms55 Agreed. For me, I see no reason for the D-Pad in the first place. Most games I play I almost never use it. I only use the D-Pad for playing the NES Online games, and again, I have the Pro Controller, so I don't need an entirely new Switch just to get a D-Pad.

@MarcianoMDPeople who own a Switch may want the Switch Lite because:1. They only play in portable mode all the time, anyway.2. They live in a household where everyone shares one Switch.3. They find collecting different looking hardware irresistible.4. They want an easily accessible Switch in more than one location

For number 2, this could be a couple, a family of five, etc. In my own family, we bought a second Switch, and it would definitely have been a Switch Lite if it was available.

(I left this unsent in a web browser for a few days... figured I might as well post it anyway)